MY EXPERIENCE @ TOASTMASTERS CLUB MEETING

                My Experience @ Toastmasters

Yesterday I had visited a Toastmasters club meeting (Business Excellence Toastmasters Club Meeting in Dubai).  To be honest, I really thought it was going to be boring, I was reluctant to even go to the meeting, but to my surprise it was actually very interesting.  The people there were not like other elders (no offence) they were super humorous and cool.

The meeting started when the club president Mr. Ali formally declared the meeting open, then the president introduced the TMOD (Toast Master of The Day) who anchors the meeting, the TMOD was Mrs. Fozia who gave the welcoming address . The ‘word master’ was TM Ankita who introduced a new word “fillip” and she asked the crowd to use the word in sentences. then the TMOD introduced the roles players , there was a timer, a general evaluator , a Trivia master. Then the TMOD introduced the speaker and their evaluators. The TMOD spoke about the speakers and about their favorite  quote and their role model. The speeches were amazing - the language , the fluency and the boldness, I was not able to see any stage fear in their eyes.

The first speaker was Mr.Chirag who spoke about blockchain technology. Basically, blockchain technology is about how we can transfer money in a safe and reliable way (through encrypted technology) I actually did not know about this until that time , he was given a time of 5-7 minutes . The next speaker was Mr.Sauud his topic was “the ideal mentor” he spoke about how he has many mentors in many aspects of life , he also informed that there are 2 types of mentors i) forced mentor , ii) chosen mentor.  His speech was very humorous and very interactive with the crowd the words of choice was excellent, he was given a time of 5-7 minutes to complete his speech.  The last speaker was Mr.TP anand (my uncle) his topic was about how he honored his boss in a social speech.  His speech was also very humorous I liked his speech the most, he was given a time of 3-4 minutes. 

Then came the coffee break, then the TMOD introduced everyone to “table topics” where a person was given a topic on the spot and a speaker was to speak with no preparation. All the speeches were evaluated by the evaluators. Everyone was also given time to write about the pros and cons of the speech that was delivered. Then came the trivia master’s session where she asks questions from the day’s session and those who gave the right answer were rewarded with a chocolate.  

After that it was the time where general evaluators were given a chance to speak about how the day’s session was.  Then came the awards session where awards were given to the best speaker who was Mr.Sauud, the best evaluator who was Mr.Sandeep and the best table topic speaker Ms.Sara.

The TMOD gave the closing address and handed the control back to the president and the president gives his remarks and formally closes the meeting then a group picture was taken.

I was actually happy that I got a chance to attend the meeting and I would actually like to join a Toastmasters club in Chennai I am again looking forward to have a chance to go to another toastmasters meeting.          

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND EVERYONE TO JOIN TOASTMASTERS CLUB.  It would help to improve the communication skills and leadership qualities.

Akhil Krishnan 

23^rd April 2019

Dubai, U.A.E.

GOOD IMPRESSION

The first impression we make is always the best impression.  

We create a good or a bad impression through our communication.  Communication need not always be oral or written it can also be through gestures, body language and above all through your silence.

There are several styles of communication.  Some of the popular styles are passive, aggressive and assertive.

Do you know your communication style?  Are you following the same style in all places and in all situations?  Is your communication style creating the right impression in the minds of the people about you and is that what you aspire for or desire?

I am an assertive communicator.  I actively listen to others and make my point very clear and loud in an assertive manner.  If there is a situation where the other person is not seeing my point of view, I will not push too hard and agree to disagree by appreciating the other view point.  I have seen that this helps in not building unnecessary arguments and personal conflicts.  This assertive communication style has exhibited my real intentions which is to have a win-win situation all the time.

Communication builds relationship and the focal point of every relationship is that neither of them will Lose at any given situation.  It is always Win-Win and hence the relationship continues for several years.  In order to have the win-win situation it is important not to adopt the passive or aggressive style of communication.

I went with my family to a cloth store when my twin sons were about 12 years old.  I started selecting clothes for them one by one and each of my selection got rejected by them.  At some point I felt that I am adopting an aggressive style of communication by choosing clothes on their behalf.  I quickly realised my mistake and took a back step and told them please go ahead and select what you like.  Try it out and if it fits you we will buy.  I stayed with them in the shopping hall, waited for them to try the clothes and when asked for opinion gave my honest opinion and finally they ended up buying something of their choice.  Surprising they also bought fewer clothes that what I had selected.  At the end, it was a happy shopping experience for all.  They got what they wanted, they were happy that it was their choice, I ended up paying less for the shopping and in turn learnt a lesson that my colour choice was completely out of sync with their choice.

I went to a restaurant with few friends and was not in a great mood.  I told them anything they order is fine for me and I will also have a coffee at the end with “less sugar”.  They ordered food of their choice and it was certainly nowhere near my taste and liking.  After eating the horrible food I also ended up having coffee which had too much sugar in my opinion.  The rest of the folks in the table found the food to be delicious and the coffee was found to be good with right amount of sugar.  Right amount of sugar for them was too much sugar for me.  After that experience I decided that I will clearly tell the food of my choice and when I order coffee I always say “without sugar” but bring the sugar separately so that I can add.

When our communication is aggressive we create a bad impression in the minds of the other people.  We come across as an autocratic person with high-handed approach.  When our communication is passive we irritate others as being dis-interested in the conversation or relationship because we avoid eye contact.  We end up building anger or resentment in the minds of other persons and thus the impression created is not good.

When our communication is assertive our communication is clear, body language is positive, eye contact is maintained, clarity of thoughts is exhibited and finally we will create a good impression.

Leaving others with a good impression and carrying a good impression about the others is actually a key to having healthy relationship.  Our life is all about relationships and how we maintain and nurture them.

Be assertive in your communication, maintain a healthy relationship with everyone and leave a good impression about yourself at all times.

T.P.Anand

Dubai, U.A.E

4th February 2019